Carrying cases



May 23, 1967 c. DOPPELT 3,321,053

CARRYING CASES Filed Oct. 21, 1965 fizz/eizzfv BY Cfaflzsfloppeff MAX R. KRAUS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,321,053 CARRYING CASES Charles Doppelt, 601 10th Ave, Hollywood Fla. 33020 Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 500,011 9 Claims. (Cl. 190-45) This invention relates to carrying cases. One of the objects of this invention is to provide a carrying case, more particularly, an attach case with expansible sides so that the width of the case may be adjusted to increase or decrease the capacity of the case.

Carrying cases, particularly of the attach type, are generally made of a certain length and width, which give them a distinctive style and appearance. The sleek appearance of such a case is due to the narrow width of the case. This, however, reduces the capacity of the case. With this invention the carrying or attach case is made with expansible and contractible sides so that normally the sides are retracted to provide a case with a minimum Width and reduced capacity. However, when the contents fill the minimum capacity of the case the sides expand outwardly to increase the width and the capacity of the case. As the contents are removed from the case the sides will retract to the capacity needed. This invention, therefore,

provides a case with adjustable sides which provide an attach case having the sleek look but which adjusts automatically to provide an increased capacity when necessary and returns automatically to its reduced capacity when the contents are reduced.

Another object of this invention is to provide an attach case which in outward apearance is like the conventional attach case.

Other objects will become aparent as this description progresses.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the attache case of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1, showing the sides in extended or expanded position.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on a reduced scale, similar to FIGURE 2, but with the sides in collapsed or retracted position.

FIGURE 4 is a view taken on line 4--4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view, broken away, taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

The case, generally indicated at 10, is formed of two compartments 12 and 14 hingedly joined together as at 16 at the bottom to form the body of the case. The two compartments are each expansible so that the width of the case may be adjusted to increase or decrease the capacity of the case.

Referring first to compartment 12, said compartment is formed of a rigid frame member 18 of rectangular shape, comprising a top 19, a bottom 20, and spaced ends 21 and 22. Extending inwardly of the frame 18 but on the outside thereof is a continuous lip or flange 24 which extends along the top, bottom, and spaced ends.

Supported by frame member 13 is a movable member generally indicated at 26. Said movable member 26 combines with the frame 18 to form compartment 12. Said movable member is integrally formed, preferably of a molded plastic material, and is substantially rigid. Its

overall shape is similar to a shallow tray, having a side wall 28, a top wall 29, a bottom wall 30, and spaced end walls 32. The top, bottom and end walls are substantially at right angles to the side wall 28. There is a radius or curvature at the juncture of the side wall where it counects to the top, bottom and spaced end walls.

A continuous strip of aluminum, generally indicated at 34, has a channeled portion 36 which is permanently secured to the border edges 38 of the top 29, bottom 30 and end walls 32 of the movable member 26. Strip 34 has an outwardly extending flange 40. The strip 34 engages the inwardly extending lip 24 of the frame member 18 to limit the outward movement of the movable member 26 relative to the frame.

Permanently secured as at 41 to the inside of each of the end members 21 and 22 of the frame member 18 is a right angled metal strip 42 which is engaged by the aluminum strip 34 of the movable member 26 when the movable member 26 is moved to its maximum inward or retracted position. The strip 42 limits the inward movement of the movable member, as best seen .in FIGS. 3 and 5. Thus, the movable member 26 telescopes partially into the frame 18 and is movable inwardly and outwardly with respect to the frame, the permissable movement being the distance between the inside strip 42 and the lip 24.

For the purpose of maintaining the movable member 26 in its retracted or inward position, as in FIGS. 3 and 5, a strip of elastic material 44 connects the movable member 26 to the frame 18. The elastic strip 44 has one end centrally connected as at 46 to the inside of the top 19 of the frame 18, with the opposite end of the elastic strip connected as at 48 to the inside of the top wall 29 of movable member 26.

The wall 30 of the movable member 26 has secured to it as at 50 one end of an elastic strip 52, best seen in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. The opposite end of the elastic strip is secured as at 50' to the bottom wall 30 of the other movable member 26' in the other frame member 18'. Thus, the bottom elastic strip 52 acts on both movable members 26 and 26' and tends to normally draw the bottoms of the two movable members 26 and 26' inwardly toward each other.

The other frame member 18' is similar to the frame member 18 described and will not be redescribed. Its corresponding parts have the same numerals primed. The movable member 26 is retained in its frame member 18' and is similarly movable with respect to frame 18'.

The frame members 18 and 18' have complementary recessed mating edges 18a and 18b extending around the frame members. Conventional locking means 54 are secured to the top walls of the frame members. A conventional handle 56 is also mounted on the top wall of one of the frame members.

Normally, the movable side members 26 and 26' will be positioned in their respective frames in their innermost or retracted positions, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. In this position the width of the case is at its narrowest and it will appear as a conventional attach case with its sleek appearance. As the compartments 12 and 14 become filled the movable members 26 and 26' will move outwardly to accommodate the material in the compartments and the width of the case will be increased until they reach their outermost limits, as shown in FIG. 2. This takes place against the tension of the elastic members 44, 44' and 52. If the contents in the case are reduced, the said elastic members will retract or move the movable members 26 and 26' inwardly, as in FIGS. 3 and 6. Thus, the case expands in its width to increase the capacity of its compartments when necessary and automatically retracts to its narrowest width when the material in the case is reduced or removed.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1.. A carrying case comprising, a pair of frame members hingedly joined together at the bottom so that the said members may be hinged relative to each other, cooperating locking means on said frame members to lock same together in a closed position, each frame member having open opposite sides, a movable member supported by each of said frame members and closing the open side of the frame member, each said movable member having a tray-like shape provided with a side wall, spaced top and bottom walls and spaced end walls all formed of substantially rigid and non-collapsible material, each said movable member bodily movable relative to its respective frame member so that the top, bottom and end walls of the movable member telescopes into its respective frame member when moved inwardly, each said movable member forming with its respective frame member a compartment so that the two compartments form the case, each said movable member being separately movable inwardly and outwardly with respect to its respective frame to vary the width of the case, each said frame member and movable member having cooperating means to limit the outward movement of the movable member relative to its respective frame.

2. A carrying case defined in claim 1 in which the cooperating means to limit the outward movement of the movable member relative to the frame member comprises a strip secured to the peripheral edges of the top, bottom and end walls of the movable member and the frame member has a lip engaged by said strip.

3. A carrying case defined in claim 2 in which the strip has a flange with the flange engaging the lip on the frame member.

4. A structure defined in claim 1 in which elastic means are provided between the movable member and its respective frame for normally urging the movable members inwardly in a direction towards each other to reduce the width of said case.

5. A carrying case comprising a pair of frame members hingedly joined together at the bottom so that they may be hinged relative to each other, cooperating locking means on said frame members to lock said frame members together in a closed position, at least one of said frame members having an open side, a movable member supported by said open side frame member, said movable member having a tray-like shape provided with a side wall, spaced top and bottom walls and spaced end walls all formed of substantially rigid and non-collapsible material, said movable member bodily movable relative to its frame member so that the top, bottom and end walls of the movable member telescopes into its frame member when moved inwardly, said movable member forming with its respective frame member a compartment, said movable member being movable inwardly and outwardly with respect to its frame to vary the width of the case,

said frame and movable member having cooperating means to limit the outward movement of the movable member relative to its respective frame member.

6. A carrying case defined in claim 5 in which the cooperating means to limit the outward movement of the movable member relative to the frame comprises a strip secured to the peripheral edges of the top, bottom and end walls of the movable member with said strip having a flange adapted to engage a lip on the frame member.

7. A carrying case defined in claim 5 in which means are provided for normally retracting the movable member inwardly in a direction of its frame member to reduce the width of the carrying case.

8. A carrying case defined in claim 7 in which the means are elastic.

9. A portable case comprising, a pair of frame members hingedly joined together, each frame member having open opposite sides, a side member telescopically received in each said frame member and retained by its respective frame member, each side member comprising a side wall with a top, bottom and spaced end walls substantially at right angles to said side walls, said side members all formed of substantially rigid and non-collapsible material, each said side member forming with its respective frame a compartment, with said compartments forming the case, each said side member being slidable inwardly and outwardly with respect to its frame to vary the width and capacity of the case, each frame member having a lip and each side member having a strip on the peripheral edge of the top, bottom and end walls which has a flange engageable with the lip to limit the outward movement of said side members, elastic means secured to said side member and to its respective frame member for normally maintaining the side members in retracted position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 892,125 6/1908 Bourne -45 1,341,099 5/1920 Abramson 190-44 2,002,878 5/1935 Belber 190-4 3,084,825 4/1963 Hultquist 220-8 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner. 

5. A CARRYING CASE COMPRISING A PAIR OF FRAME MEMBERS HINGEDLY JOINED TOGETHER AT THE BOTTOM SO THAT THEY MAY BE HINGED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, COOPERATING LOCKING MEANS ON SAID FRAME MEMBERS TO LOCK SAID FRAME MEMBERS TOGETHER IN A CLOSED POSITION, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS HAVING AN OPEN SIDE, A MOVABLE MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID OPEN SIDE FRAME MEMBER, SAID MOVABLE MEMBER HAVING A TRAY-LIKE SHAPE PROVIDED WITH A SIDE WALL, SPACED TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS AND SPACED END WALLS ALL FORMED OF SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID AND NON-COLLAPSIBLE MATERIAL, SAID MOVABLE MEMBER BODILY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO 